Latest KFF Health News Stories
Last Year Was Deadliest Ever In US History
An AP report looking into why finds that covid was the biggest culprit, with a surprising number of Americans refusing to get vaccinated. Also contributing to the nation’s 3.465 million deaths in 2022 were more drug overdoses as well as fatalities caused by conditions like cancer, diabetes and liver disease.
Perspectives: Doctors’ Fear Of Opioids Hurts Patients; What Is The Right Decision On Aduhelm?
Read recent commentaries about drug-cost issues.
Blood Cancer Drug Trials To Resume; Take A Deeper Dive On Antibiotics Use
Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN’s Prescription Drug Watch roundup.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial pages delve into these public health topics.
Shanghai Covid Surge Prompts Partial US Government Pullout
All non-emergency government staff were ordered out of Shanghai by the State Department, which also said all travel to China should be reconsidered. Meanwhile, South African scientists uncovered new subvariants of omicron covid — BA.4 and BA.5 — and they’ve been found in the U.K. already.
San Diego To Experiment With Sending 911 Calls To Nurses
The plan is to reduce some first responders’ workload and lower wait times in hospitals. In other news, thousands of children are going hungry; an aid-in-dying bill in Connecticut stalls; Sierra Health loses a $200 million lawsuit in Las Vegas; and more state news.
Report Finds Black Babies Can Expect 5 Years Less Life Than White Babies
That harsh statistic is just one from the annual report on the State of Black America from the National Urban League — another: Black women are 31% more likely to die from breast cancer. Meanwhile, wildfire-damaged air quality makes pregnancy riskier in Western states.
Florida’s Opioids Trial Against Walgreens Begins
The state accuses Walgreens of not noticing easily-spotted “red flags” for opioid abuse or fraud in more than half of the opioid prescriptions it issued in Florida between May 2006 and June 2021. Meanwhile, a mistrial is sought against the Ohio ex-doctor accused of paid med overprescription.
FDA Exploring Route To Cheaper Drugs Through Imports
Meanwhile, congressional committees seek responses from the Food and Drug Administration after a Politico investigation uncovered slow action on food safety and nutrition problems. Also, the FDA itself says Bausch Health released misleading claims about a plaque psoriasis treatment.
JAMA’s New Editor-In-Chief Is A Health-Equity Researcher
Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo is a health-equity researcher, and the first person of color to edit the American Medical Association’s medical journal. A potential strike at Cedars-Sinai, telehealth reimbursement rules, and Vermont denying a 10% rate rise for hospitals are also in the news.
Medicare Plans To Cut Payments To Nursing Homes
The proposed reduction in payments — announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — is set to remedy an unintended 5% increase in payments for fiscal 2020, the agency said. Also in the news, a Montana hospital for psychiatric patients faces a loss of federal funding.
Experimental Drug Halves Covid Deaths Among Critically Ill, Company Says
Veru Inc.’s said that independent safety monitors recommend wrapping up late-stage trials of sabizabulin due to the promising results. The test data have not been peer-reviewed.
Covid Cases Are Rising In Many Places, But Americans Are So Over It
In a new poll, fewer than one in 10 Americans describe covid as a crisis. Funny thing about viruses, though: They don’t care what we think. Cases of variant BA.2 are spreading across the Northeast, and Rhode Island leads the nation with the highest seven-day case rate.
Philadelphia To Impose Mask Mandate Again
The requirement will go into effect April 18 and comes after a 50% increase in cases over the past 10 days. Several colleges around the country are also reinstating mask rules.
Biden Administration Targets Growing Burden Of Medical Debt
“No one in our nation should have to go bankrupt just to get the health care they need,” Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday. The White House announced a series of new government policies to evaluate billing practices, make it easier to get a federal loan and to act against overly aggressive debt collectors
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Cancel Culture Is Destroying Self-Esteem; How Governors Can Protect Abortion Rights
Editorial writers weigh in on these public health issues.
Opinion writers examine covid topics as well as health care issues.
Global Health Leadership Positions Still Mostly A Rich Man’s Game: Report
A report looked into 2,000 board positions in more than 146 health organizations. Among the findings, only 1% of members were women from low-income countries. In other news, Queen Elizabeth visited covid patients, Hong Kong’s outbreak is fading, and India tackles malnutrition.
